


Mystery

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Amnesia, Eskimos, Gen, I made up some random people for fun, I think they’re adorable, Original Characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22864969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: How Zane met Master Wu.
Relationships: Zane & Sensei Wu (Ninjago)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	Mystery

Being at the bottom of the frozen pond was one of Zane’s favourite places to be. As strange as it sounded. But he liked the fish and the ice. He always felt at home where there was ice. 

Maybe that was why he was drawn to Qanuk—a northern village of Eskimo people. It was always cold and the land was always covered in snow. He liked it here. The villagers were kind to him, had given him a bed to sleep in, and made him apart of their family since he couldn’t remember his own. 

Yes. He liked it here. He liked his life. (...Although, there was a part of him that yearned to solve the mysteries of his past).

Suddenly, Zane felt a presence other than his own. 

He looked beside him. 

There was an old man in a funny hat, drinking tea next to him. Underwater!

Zane was so startled, he accidentally opened his mouth.  
_________________________________

“You were so close to breaking your record, Zane!”

“Yeah, why’d you come up?”

It was hard to walk with Penny and Jack clinging to his legs, but Zane didn’t have the heart to tell them to get off. 

“I ran out of breath,” he informed them, for the thousandth time. He was used to it. Penny’s attention span was a little better than Jack’s, but not by much. Both of them either didn’t listen or forgot things quickly.

However, that wasn’t the complete truth. While he was under the ice, he’d suddenly seen an old man—drinking tea of all things!—next to him at the bottom of the pond. He’d been so startled, he accidentally opened his mouth and had to swim up. Much to the disappointment of the village eskimos, he hadn’t broken his last record. 

When he asked if anyone had seen the old man, they’d said no. He checked the bottom of the pond again, but the old man was gone. 

The event confused him greatly. His vision was perfect. He didn’t think he’d imagined it. 

“You should try again tomorrow!” Penny said. 

“Yeah! If you break your record, your name will be put in the book!” added Jack enthusiastically. 

Zane laughed, patting their little heads. “Alright. I will try again tomorrow.”

They both cheered. Their fondness for him always warmed Zane’s heart. 

It was midday when they returned to Qanuk Orphanage—Zane had carried Jack and Penny the whole way there. 

“Who’s that talking to Ella?” Jack asked.

Ella was the sweet old lady who owned the orphanage. 

Zane looked. In the window, Ella was having a conversation over drinks with... the old man!!

Zane ran inside, Jack and Penny squealing in delight at the fun ride.

Ella looked up, her face lighting up at the sight of them. “Welcome back!” she said. She huffed in amusement when she saw Jack and Penny giggling on Zane’s legs. “Really children, how many times have I told you? Zane is not a horse!”

“Yeah, he is!” Jack and Penny laughed.

“He doesn’t look like one!”

Zane would’ve told Ella that it was fine, he liked playing with the kids, but his gaze was glued to the old man. 

“Ella, who is this?” he asked. 

“Oh!” Ella turned back to the old man. She could be a bit scatterbrained, especially with the kids nearby, but nobody blamed her. Everyone liked Ella and no one could ever get mad at her. “Zane, this is Wu. A master trained in the martial arts,” she explained, “He is here to see you.”

Zane looked curiously at the old man. 

Master Wu took a long sip of his tea before returning Zane’s gaze. “Hello. It’s nice to see you again, Zane.”

Zane blinked. Again?

________________________________

“So tell me, Zane. How did you come across Qanuk?” Master Wu asked, warming his hands on his cup of tea. 

Zane absentmindedly wondered how much he drank. Without needing to use the washroom. 

He stared down at his own tea, watching the steam dance on top of his cup. “I had amnesia and was lost,” he began, “It was by pure luck I found this peaceful village.”

“And you were welcomed into the community?” Wu asked. 

“Yes,” Zane responded, smiling at the pleasant memory. 

He cherished the few memories that he had. Someone once told him if he held his memories close to his heart, they would never be forgotten. 

“They are kind to me. They treat me as one of their own. It makes me feel...” Zane frowned thoughtfully. 

“Happy?” Master Wu suggested. 

Zane smiled. “Yes.” He looked down at his tea. “I am happy here...” 

He blinked, surprised by the strange, incomplete feeling in his chest. 

“But?” asked Master Wu, waiting for him to continue. 

Zane sighed, suddenly feeling sad. “But I suppose... I wish I knew where I came from,” he said, looking at the sky through the window. 

Master Wu sipped his tea. “Zane,” he began then, “I have reason to believe the power of ice is in your veins. Perhaps if you allow me to help you hone that power, you will reclaim your identity.”

Zane frowned. “You... want me to be your student?”

“Yes.”

The power of ice... Zane looked down at his hands. The ice had always felt like, well, him. Like an extension of himself. It made him feel alive, made his blood pump, his bones invincible. The cold had never bothered him either. 

Maybe those things were more than just quirks about him. 

Maybe they could help him regain his lost memories.

But Master Wu did not live in these parts. To train under him, that’d mean Zane would have to leave. And he couldn’t possibly do that. 

“I am sorry,” Zane said, “but I have responsibilities here. I cannot abandon them.”

He did all sorts of jobs in the village. He helped Ella take care of the orphans. He went fishing with the fishermen and hunting with the hunters. He helped out at the bakery and at the shop. It was the least he could do to repay the villagers for all their kindness. 

“I’ve talked to many of the people in this area,” Wu said, “They all adore you. Your happiness is important to them. If there’s even the slightest possibility of you reclaiming your identity outside of this village, why would they not let you leave?”

Zane blinked. Why... wouldn’t they? They... they would. They’d always said he could come and go as he pleased. That even if he left and was gone for a very long time, he’d always be welcomed back. And even if he never returned, he’d always have a place here. 

But would it be right? After all they’d done for him...

“Zane.”

Zane looked behind him. Ella and the children were there. 

“If you want to go, you should go,” Ella said gently. 

Zane stood up. “But—“

“You worry too much,” Ella said, “You are a child of this village, but you were someone else before that. We know how much you want to know what happened to you.”

Zane did want to know. He wanted to know. He needed to know. 

“Yeah Zane!” Jack exclaimed, jumping at Zane and hanging off of his waist, “You go find your memories!” he encouraged. 

“And maybe you’ll find your family,” Penny added, hugging Zane’s other side. 

Zane smiled warmly at the two of them, placing his hands on their little heads. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?” he asked. 

“Well we’ll miss you,” said Penny softly. 

“But when we’re all grown up, we’re gonna leave the village too and be samurai!” said Jack determinedly. 

“Yeah, and maybe we’ll see you again!” Penny said with a grin. 

Zane chuckled, kneeling down to pull both kids into a hug. “We’ll see each other sooner than that. I’ll be sure to visit as often as I can.”

“So you’re going?” Penny asked. 

Zane looked back at Master Wu, who was watching them with a small fond smile. 

“I am,” he said. 

“Very well,” said Master Wu, “We head out tomorrow.”

Zane felt a determined excitement well up inside him. 

Come tomorrow, Zane’s life would change completely. Come tomorrow, his life wouldn’t be so wrapped up in mystery. And in time, he would find his families; his family by blood and his chosen family.

**Author's Note:**

> You know not what you were born for,  
> You know not what you are worth,  
> You know not who you are.  
> You know nothing.  
> But you do know that you have a destiny to fulfill.  
> That destiny may be a mystery,  
> But you have the power to make it great.
> 
> :) thanks for reading
> 
> Fun Fact: Qanuk means snowflake. I’m pretty sure. If I’m wrong, feel free to let me know. Thanks!


End file.
